Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-09-02
WORDS TO MOTHERS.
A Few Sensible aud Instructive Remar
on the Evils OF Self Abnegation.

A Few Sensible aud Instructive Remark
on the Evils OF seir-Abnegatlon.
You SEQ, madame. you've sown and
now you are reaping. There's been
on your part too much devotion to
the children and too little to yourself.
You are an individual as well as any
one of your children. You Chat in-
dividuaD call for Improvement on
every side. You've been saying all
these years; Il don't care much what
becomes of me, so that the children
have q good sond.oif in the world"
That's all wrong. You We worked
hard all these years nursing those
boys and girls, feeling them, clothing
them, worrying over them. You've
been for them mother. nursery COVER
ness, housekeeper and upper servant,
and that's about all. You've kept
yourself hived in your house. and
much out of the world and out OF
society. You haven't kept up with the
world. You neglect your dress and
look like a dowdy. When you do dress.
you put on too much. When you
don't dress, you put on too little.
Your education in certain respects
has not gone on with that of the chill
drcn. Education in this world or any
other never stops. The education you
get from varied association with many
people is rs good if not better than
that you get out of books. People are
books.
You have toilet yourself at home
into a servant. Your children call you
''mother" but regard you as their serv-
ami. You've educated them so TO do
and they can't helpit. They associate
you only with the care of the house.
the care of the table, the washing and
mending. and the little else. You can't
think or talk of much else
Your children see the difference be-
tween you and other ladies. When
you go in company you're always put
ting your foot in it somewhere or turn
ing up some corner of the family cur
tain that had better have been left
turned down. For this reason your
children are both ashamed and afraid
of you. They can't help it.
You say your children should have
more gratitude. You can't expect
gratitude from children till they have
children OF their own. BY that time
It's too late for their gratitude to be Of
much service to you.
Children take all their parents give
lhem-money, clothes, food and shelter
AS a matter of course. They think
these things come as matter of course
until they're obliged to go to work and
earn them.
You We toilcd yourself into prema-
turely old woman. You complain that
your girls 'run over you" They
wouldn't run over you if you'd cult
waited all your talents.
Dignity is n talent, and you haven't
cultivated that. Command of temper
is n talent, and you haven't cultivated
that. Grace of bearing, address, tact,
well-chosen language-all these are
talents, and you've given them all the
go-by.
You've committed that pernicious sin
of saving nothing for yourself and
every thing for your children. If say
ing that so that the children's light
shone. you'd be willing to be snuffy
old candle, and now that you are
snuffy old candle, and your children
treat you as one, you don't like it.
Ought we not to love our children
better than oursclves?" you ask. No.
Love thy ncighbor as thyself' says
Scripture. Your children are your
neighbors. Mark the passage las
thyself," not better than myself.
There is n certain amount of love
due from every one TO themselves. II
you don't love yourself you'll neg
lect yourself in some way. Love
doesn't mean abuse of self. 1t means
proper care of ones self If you
don love your body you won't keep
it properly cloanscd or clothed; If
you love your stomach you won't put
any thing in it to hurt it; you won't
put in it bigger load than it can
carry. If you love your mind you'll
see that it's kept clear, and polished,
and bright, and ready to receive the
best ideas that come floating TO it in
the air.
When you love any thing so much
that you're willing to give yourself all
away for its sake. you're helping to
make q ruin of self and making your
self less and less able to attract love,
regard, esteem and respect from
others.
It's time we saw all the way round
some texts in Scripture, and not half
way round. Your minister ought to
have told you better. Prentice MuI-
ford. IN San Francisco Chronicle.